Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-03-22
INLAND WATERWAYS.
Official Report of Mississippi Com
merce.


Mai. MeKenzie---Statis of Bus
mess between ST. Louis and st. Paul,
The interstate commerce bill, will
in no way affect river commerce., said
Mai. Mckenzie, chief of the government
engineer corps this morning. There is
no clause in the bill pertaining to water
commerce. In the regulation OF freight
traffic. no law can be made hampering
which nature has furnished belongs to no
man, and no man or corporation OF men
can control it; it may be traversed from
end to end by any freight or passenger
bearing craft, charging either high or
low rates, 10 suit its pleasure. There
can be no monopoly or exclusive right in
river traffic, and merit alone can excel in
the control of trade"
Would it not be wise for the railroads
to engage in steamboat commerce then in
certain quarters?" sid the ARGUS report,
eT.
"Therc have been faint rumor's" re
piled the major, that some of the roads
intended to, but doubt the expediency
of such a move For instance road
might ship freight tom Chicago to Mil
waukee by river, haul it across To La
crosse. and send it to ST. Paul by water
and in that way get around the inter
state commerce provisions, but that
would hardly pay in my estimation At
the governments request | prepared
about the first of the year. statement
of Mississippi commerce from St. Louis
to st. Paul, to be used in the trade
statistics of the country" aud a copy Of
the report was shown the scribe.
1t states that the amount of misCe!la>
neous
FREIGHT MOVED BY BOATS
during the year 1886 was 437, 713 tons,
aud that while this is less than the
amount given for 1876. the decrease is
not any indication of lessening of tie
importance Of the Mississippi river as a
transportation route. Railroads now
carry the larger portion of the miscella-
ncous freight which was formerly trans
ported by river. but they are compelled
by river competition to carry such freight
during she season of navigation al very
low rates. The saving to commerce,
therefore. resulting from the Mississippi
river and its improvements comes from
the resulting low rate of freight, and lis
money value must be calculated not only
from freight moved by water. but also
freight.moved by rail in competition with
the water route Major MackenZie's re
port goes on to show that the effect of
the river. if it be kept in a navlgablt
state, in the saving to commerce, would
be the same if not pound of freight
was actually transported on the Missis :
sippi. How much the effect in cheapen>
ng the cost Of transportation ne states
that it is impossible accurately to say; bu
it is fair to estimate such reduction in cos
at about one-thIrd. The railroads com
petiDg with the river are obliged during
the season of navigation to reduce theil
freight charges in order to obtain bust
ness, bat from the time navigation cleses
in the fall until its reopening in the
spring the rates are from two to six times
more than during the months boats ar,
running. The average cost of trans
porting lumber aud logs from the tfibu
taries TO various points on the nppcl
Mississippi river was. during 1886, on,
dollar per thousand feet, board measure
showing
SAVING IN WATER TRANSPORTATION
of So per M There were moved b.
water 1,3tJ, 1876 ,02O feet of logs ant
lumber, which indicates saving on Thu
item Of 81, $50 $40, as compared will
transportation by rail. The success OF
this important lumber business depends
upon the use of the Mississippi river as ,
line of transportation. Thus the saving
To corprn.-,. 4, n IN. ,p;.coIIap a,u- FroI,,I,,
actually moved by water last season OF
the upper river. is placed approximately Il
$500 900, which, with the saving OF
lumber, gives about 50, 500, 900 Thu
figure only represents the saving OF
freight actually moved by river; the i'm
mense, additional saving to commcrc,
from low rates on freight moved. by raj
in competition with The river cannot. a
the present time, be calculated, but tht
aggregate must be among the millions
LUMBER, ETC.
The report further shows that ninety
two different boats were DUNG the pas
season in The lumber trade alone. Be-
tween st. Paul and ST, Louis seventy
four saw mills were operated b. sixty
seven wholesale lumber firms, having al
invested capital of S33 ,0tO, 600. Thci
manufactures in the season of $50 were
Lumber. 934, 735 S54 feet; Ialh, 267 ,Ss8.
$40 pieces, shingles. PA, ISL, 80 pieces
there were fna;ed in The river for variou
distances. 7sl. go, 1870 feet Of logs, ant
533 100000 feet OF lumber; total of 1,
315, 1870, Geo feet. OF the lumber 21S,
500, 900 came from the Chippewa. 80
0)0, 900 from t st. Croix, and 81 500,
000 from the Black The total produC
il shipped Ivy rail would load. 1903. rs
cars, of twenty tons each Taking tb
average length of a Car as thirtytive fee
it would fill train 72l miles long, q